The Amazing Spider-Man#101

The Amazing Spider-Man #101

Oct 1971 · Marvel

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★ 1st appearance — Morbius

About this Issue

The Amazing Spider-Man #101 is a genuine turning-point issue for both the Spider-Man franchise and the Bronze Age of Marvel Comics: it marks the very first appearance of Morbius the Living Vampire, a character who pioneered Marvel's horror-influenced anti-hero archetype and went on to anchor his own series, multi-issue crossover arcs, and a 2022 Sony feature film. The issue also carries the rare distinction of being the first in the title's nine-year run not written by Stan Lee — Roy Thomas's debut as scripter on Spider-Man's flagship book signaled a generational shift in Marvel's editorial voice. Creatively, Morbius was designed as a science-fictional answer to the supernatural vampire, sidestepping the recently lifted Comics Code Authority ban on traditional vampires by grounding the character in pseudo-science rather than the supernatural — a clever workaround that itself reflects how the loosening of the Code in early 1971 was reshaping what superhero comics could explore.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $220

CGC 9.8 $7,608

CGC 9.6 $2,944

CGC 9.4 $1,532

CGC 9.2 $1,532

CGC 9.0 $1,063

CGC 8.5 $833

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 $801

CGC 7.5 $564

CGC 7.0 $525

CGC 6.5 $322

CGC 6.0 $266

CGC 5.5 $236

CGC 5.0 $236

CGC 4.5 $236

CGC 4.0 $234

CGC 3.5 $160

CGC 3.0 $160

CGC 2.5 $151

CGC 2.0 $129*

CGC 1.5 $92

CGC 1.0 $92*

CGC 0.5 $79

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

Stan Lee stepped away from scripting duties on The Amazing Spider-Man — his first absence from the book since co-creating it with Steve Ditko in 1962 — to write a screenplay for an unproduced science fiction film with French director Alain Resnais; he bequeathed the writing assignment to his associate editor Roy Thomas. Thomas and penciler Gil Kane had originally hoped to pit Spider-Man against Dracula, but because Stan Lee preferred a costumed villain, they designed an original character instead. Their inspiration for the pseudo-vampire concept came partly from a 1957 science-fiction film Thomas recalled from his youth that featured a man turned into a vampire by scientific rather than supernatural means, and Kane modeled the character's gaunt, angular face on actor Jack Palance. The Comics Code Authority had updated its policies in February 1971 to permit vampires 'when handled in the classic tradition,' enabling Morbius to appear with the Code's seal — though Thomas and Kane made him explicitly science-based to suit the rational world of Spider-Man. Stan Lee still oversaw cover decisions, rejecting Kane's initial cover layout (which Thomas later repurposed as an interior story page) in favor of the dynamic final composition.

Trivia · 10 facts

First appearance of Morbius the Living Vampire (Dr. Michael Morbius), created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, cover-dated October 1971 (published August 1971).
First issue of The Amazing Spider-Man not written by Stan Lee, breaking a streak stretching back to the title's debut in 1963; Roy Thomas took over scripting duties while Lee was on sabbatical.
Part of the 'Six Arms Saga': the story picks up directly from the cliffhanger in issue #100, in which Peter Parker accidentally mutated himself into a six-armed Spider-Man — a plot Thomas and Kane had to resolve while simultaneously introducing a new villain.
The Lizard (Dr. Curt Connors) also appears, creating a three-way confrontation between Spider-Man, Morbius, and the Lizard that closes the issue on a cliffhanger resolved in #102.
Morbius was conceived as a scientific pseudo-vampire to fit within Spider-Man's science-fiction framework and to navigate the newly revised Comics Code Authority rules; Kane based the character's physical appearance on actor Jack Palance.
Cover art by Gil Kane and John Romita Sr.; interior pencils by Gil Kane; inks by Frank Giacoia; lettering by Artie Simek; edited by Stan Lee.
Noted as the last Amazing Spider-Man issue with a 15-cent cover price.
The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including a 1992 second printing with a silver-background cover, a 2021 Marvel Facsimile Edition, and inclusion in the Morbius Epic Collection, Morbius: Preludes and Nightmares, Marvel-Verse: Morbius, and The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol. 3.
Morbius subsequently starred in his own solo feature in Adventure into Fear (#20–31, 1974–1975), the Vampire Tales magazine (1973–1975), a solo ongoing series (1992–1995) launched from the 'Rise of the Midnight Sons' crossover, and was portrayed by Jared Leto in Sony's 2022 feature film Morbius.
In the 1990s animated Spider-Man series, Morbius appeared as a recurring character voiced by Nick Jameson, though the cartoon altered his feeding mechanism (plasma through his hands rather than fangs) to satisfy broadcast standards.